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Friday, March 11, 2011

Working From the Inside Out

This is the current project I've been working on. I've been hesitant to post about it because it seems like I'm in over my head. I've wanted to back out countless times. My fingers are sore from the pin pricks. But then I said to myself, "You might as well post about it, since you know you're doing it." So here goes...

Remember the fabric store that was closing where I bought the fabric for my dining room chairs and later made slips and the backs of some pillows with? Well in a moment of temporary insanity (at least I hope it was temporary- we'll see) I bought enough fabric to make slipcovers for my sofa, loveseat and ottoman. Never mind that I don't know how to make slip covers, nor the fact that I don't even know how to sew all that well. I just knew I wanted white slip-covered furniture instead of the dark tapestry that I've been starring at in my living room for over 11 years. I also knew that I didn't want to pay $1,500 to have them custom made (yes I researched how much they would cost) nor could I afford to buy new furniture, heck I had a hard time parting with the $140 it cost to buy 38 yard of fabric (which was a steal). So I bought the fabric in my momentary lapse and put the two rolls in my garage and worked on the other stuff I had going. Basically I tried to forget about the endeavor I was about to embark upon. It just seemed too scary, too hard and might just turn out to be a waste of time, money and effort. And I hate waste.

So I put it off for a while but every once in a I found myself biting my nails as I thought about the fact that sooner or later I'd have to at least "try" to make the slipcovers. I consoled myself with the fact that if I failed the fabric would make excellent drop cloth for painting projects.

As you can see I went ahead and bit the bullet. I took another risk.

So as I've been working on the slipcovers I've learned that in making slipcovers you are primarily working from the inside out. Hmmm... "working from the inside out". That phrase kept repeating itself to me and it got me thinking.....

I kept thinking about how when I was a young girl of maybe 11 or 12 how my mother had bought me some beginner cross stitch kits. In teaching me how to cross stitch she would check my progress by immediately flipping the project over to look at the inside. She'd hardly give the outside a glance. I hated when she did this. It almost seemed as if she wasn't concerned about how the project looked on the outside. She would just flip it over and look at the inside. That didn't make any sense to me. I couldn't have cared less what the inside looked like. She'd explain to me that if the inside looked good you could bet that the outside would be just fine. But if the inside showed a sloppy mess the outside wouldn't be all that great. She'd tell me to focus on doing a good job on the inside and not worry so much about the outside.

My mother did this with any project that she worked on herself. She even did it with clothing purchased at the store. When shopping she'd always check the item's quality by looking at the inside.

So as I've been working on the slipcovers I've learned that you have to do most of the work from the inside out. And I've been thinking about how that's how it is with us too. The better we look on the inside the better we'll be on the outside.

That's pretty important.

I've also been noticing that making slipcovers for sofas is a big job to do all by yourself. The fabric weighs a ton, the little pieces are pretty easy to handle but as they get put together the project gets bigger and bigger and I keep wishing I had an extra pair of hands to help me hold onto the fabric and to straighten things out every once in a while.

Yes the slipcovers would definitley come out better if I had a partner.

And once again I realized that's how it is with us too.

See- when we invite the Creator to work on us and with us as our partner- we look fabulous both inside and out. The job it too big for us to do alone. He knows this and is just waiting for an invitation.

That doesn't mean the job will be easy. No I'm sure we'll have to rip out a few mistakes along the way and start over here and there. And if He's anything like my mother He's way more concerned with how were coming along on the inside.

1 comment:

I really enjoyed reading this, I thought I was going to hear about the tough job, and I did. But you added the peace of God in there so wonderfully. How great it is to know that you can do both.Love your and the All Mighty comments.

About Me

Hi,I'm Elizabeth. I'm a wife and mother of three. I love writing and finding ways of expressing my creativity. I am interested in anything related to personal growth, family life, home management, decorating, parenting, marriage, finances and budgeting. Join me as I strive to live a life that is filled with meaning and beauty.